This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for fastening parts in place wherein an article to which a part or component is to be fastened securely consists primarily of a vehicular-use driving shaft. Parts such as boots which are fitted over each of both ends of the shaft in such a manner as to cover open ends of constant velocity joints attached thereto and are fastened securely in place by means of a band.
Japanese Examiner Patent Application Publication No. Tokkosho No. 58-34710 and the Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. Jikkaisho No. 58-146630 disclose a method and apparatus of this kind in which, after winding a band onto each end of a boot by a band winding device, a laser beam emitted from a laser beam irradiation head is applied to the overlapped portion comprising both ends of the band to weld them together so as to securely fasten the boot in place.
Generally, for fitting a boot over the driving shaft, the diametrically larger end thereof has to be securely fastened to the constant velocity joint attached to the shaft and the diametrically smaller end thereof to the shaft body. Conventionally, this is done in such a manner that a worker manually adjusts the position of the driving shaft set in the band winding device and then the diametrically larger and smaller ends of each of the boots fitted over each of both ends of the shaft are securely fastened in place successively.
When the operation to fasten the boots securely in place is performed while adjusting position of the driving shaft as described in the foregoing, there naturally arises the problem of poor work efficiency. To improve the work efficiency for higher productivity, it is desired that the driving shaft is conveyed successively to a plurality of working stations, each of which is equipped with a band winding device, so that the boot-fastening operation can be carried out in a flow process.
It should also be noted that a laser generator is considerably expensive and, therefore, even when each of the band winding devices may be equipped individually with a laser beam irradiation head, a common laser generator is used for all and a laser beam therefrom has to be led successively into each of the irradiation heads by a shift means, so that it is not possible to perform welding of the band simultaneously at a plurality of the working stations.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention has for its object to provide a method of and apparatus for fastening parts securely in place wherein each of the parts is fastened in place in a flow process and only one common laser generator is used with fewer units of laser beam irradiation head for reduction in equipment cost while maintaining approximately the same work efficiency obtainable when every band winding device is equipped with a laser beam irradiation head.